Between harbour, land and marshland in Locmiquélic

Departure from the Pen Mané pier in Locmiquélic. Access by water bus from Lorient. Parking available at the Impasse de la Filature car park.

(S/E) From the Pen Mané pier, with your back to it, go up Rue Roger Trémaré on the right and take the first right. Take the path that runs alongside the car park and follow Rue de Pen Mané opposite. Turn right onto Rue de la Douane, then left onto Rue du Rivage, until you reach a path on the right.

(1) Follow this path and walk along the Pointe du Bigot before returning to Rue du Rivage, which you should take on the right. Take the first road on the left, then continue, first turn right then left to reach Rue des Bons Enfants. Follow this road and, at the end, turn right onto Rue du Blavet until you reach Rue Roger Trémaré.

(2) Cross the street to take the pedestrian/cycle path that branches off to the right. At the roundabout, continue along this path until you reach a crossroads.

(3) Follow the street that branches off to the left, and turn left onto the path that descends through the field until you reach the crossroads.

(4) Take the path on the right, then right again to reach the village of Kervern. Continue straight ahead until you reach the business park.

(5) Go past it and take the road on the right, before the roundabout. The road narrows to become a path that leads to another roundabout.

(6) Cross to the left, leaving the access to the shopping centre, walk along the fence surrounding the lake, and cross to continue to the right. Stay on this pavement and continue straight ahead, passing the bus stop, until you reach a fork.

(7) Turn left into the woods and follow this path, ignoring the forks, until you reach a Y-junction at a road.

(8) Go left. Pass in front of the houses in the village of Petit Branroc'h and continue straight ahead to find a path that leads to the road. Turn left onto this road and continue straight ahead at the roundabout.

(9) Follow the road straight ahead, which turns left, and immediately turn right onto Rue de Stervil. Continue straight ahead until you reach the coastal path along the Blavet.

(10) At the water's edge, take the path on the left and follow it through the forest and marsh. You will come to a road.

(11)Take this Sterbouest road on the left, then quickly turn right to rejoin the coastal path before returning to the road.

(12) Turn right onto this road, then right again onto the farm track towards Kervern.

(13) Turn right twice in the village to reach the Pen Mané marsh. At the end of the cul-de-sac, turn right onto the first path. Follow this path until you cross the farm track

(14) At the crossroads, go straight ahead to follow the Blavet. Ignore the path that goes left between the two lakes to reach the shipyard.

(15) Keep to the right and cross the shipyard, staying close to the coast. Take the stairs, then walk along the fort on your right. Go down the stairs to return to the starting point. (S/E)

This circuit is offered by Lorient Agglomération.

It is listed in the Morbihan Departmental Plan for Walking and Hiking Routes and certified by the French Hiking Federation. You can follow the yellow markings.

You will be hiking through natural and private sites. Stay on the marked paths, respect nature, facilities and cultivated land. For your comfort and safety, make sure you have the appropriate hiking equipment.

• Pen Mané pier (1866)
• Pointe du Bigot: view of the harbour and Île Saint-Michel; gave its name to Locmiquélic (Loc Micquelic)
• Nézenel: old fishermen's quarter with narrow streets.
• Voie impériale: ancient road connecting Hennebont to the harbour via the islet of Ste-Catherine.
• Sterbouest tide mill (^15th century): pond fed by the tide, dyke and two-stage mill (wheat and millet); converted to oyster farming and brickworks (^20th century)
• Kervern: old farms (^18th-19th centuries)
• Pen Mané marshes (65 ha): ideal for migratory birds (150 species); diverse environments: dry grasslands, reed beds, marshy undergrowth (470 plant species).
• Blavet Estuary: 163 kilometres of river, 15 km under marine influence.
• Fort de Pen Mané: defensive fort for the harbour (1761) and port of Lorient; wireless telephone station (1908); submarine demagnetisation centre (1942-1945); municipal property since 1987